Solliden Castle
Solliden Castle - sometimes also spelled Soliden - is located on the Swedish island of Öland near Borgholm and is the summer residence of the Swedish royal family .
The Royal Villa
Solliden Palace was built on the initiative of Queen Victoria from 1903 to 1906 on the site of Borgholm Palace, which burned down in 1806 . The Queen cultivated a close friendship with the doctor and writer Axel Munthe , whose Villa San Michele on the Italian island of Capri served as a model for Solliden. The little castle consists only of staggered building parts, which together form an approximately cuboid structure under a flat copper roof. The only decorations are the double and triple windows framed by small columns as well as a loggia on the west side and a covered staircase on the east side. The castle was not built for representative purposes, but to serve the Queen as an intimate summer home and country villa.
The castle today
The reigning Swedish King Carl XVI. Gustaf received Solliden as an inheritance at the age of four after his great-grandfather Gustav V. died in 1950. The castle is still used by the royal family and inhabited in the summer months, the heir to the throne Victoria traditionally celebrates her birthdays here. The castle itself cannot be visited, but the gardens are open and accessible to visitors in the summer months.
The park
The real attraction of Solliden Castle is the castle park . Öland is climatically divided into two zones: While the island ridge and the east coast are relatively poor in nutrients and dry, the west side has a very mild climate with favorable soils. Solliden and its lush gardens are located on the border between these areas. The visitors usually come via the main entrance, which lies below a barren steppe landscape and behind which the park with its water features looks like a green oasis.
The garden area is divided into several different areas. It is shaped by dozens of different types of roses that are cultivated throughout the park. In the immediate vicinity of the villa is the "Italian Garden", decorated with box trees and hedges according to Ars topiaria . Here, opposite the castle, is the small so-called "playhouse" overgrown with tendrils, which was formerly used by the gardener and his family. From here the path leads to the "English Garden", which is designed with various large trees and lawns. Below the lawn in front of the castle is a modern cascade , which the Swedish parliament gave the king for his birthday. The "Dutch Garden" adorned with marble sculptures is a gift from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands to her friend Viktoria on the occasion of her 60th birthday in 1922.
The environment
The entrance house, which dates back to when Solliden Palace was built, not only houses the ticket office and the souvenir shop, but also regular exhibitions on the palace and its residents.
The Öland steppe begins above the castle park and the mighty castle ruins of Borgholm Castle are in the immediate vicinity of Solliden . The former renaissance fortress was converted into a baroque palace in the 17th century , which fell into disrepair after a fire in the 19th century and which today forms a picturesque contrast to the green gardens of Solliden.
Web links
Coordinates: 56 ° 51 ′ 55 " N , 16 ° 38 ′ 4.1" E